National Publication
Highlights Work of
Local 1421 Stewards
WASHINGTON
An article in the April 2002 UE NEWS caught the eye of a reporter for the weekly Union Labor Report, who
went on to write an article for his publication highlighting the work of UE stewards.
Ray Lane, with the private Bureau of National Affairs, followed up the article "Industrial
Alloys Workers Recoup Wages Lost in Contract Blackout," which reported how UE Local 1421 members in March regained more than
$5,000 in wages lost when blackouts struck the Pomona, Calif. shop last year.
Lanes article, headlined "Steward Sparks Back Pay Win Following California Blackouts," appeared under the
heading "Special Report: Grieving" in On the Line, a guide for union stewards issued as a supplement to Union Labor
Report, on June 27.
'NOT A CHANCE'
"None of my friends in the shop thought we had a chance to get the money lost when the blackouts hit," Manuel
Eudave told Lane. Eudave was chief steward at the time the grievance was filed. The article makes it clear that Eudaves
perseverance was crucial to the effort. The chief steward interviewed every member on every shift, sometimes reaching workers at home, to
document every cent of lost wages.
Lane writes, "It was not just the lost wages that troubled members... For many of the mostly immigrant workforce [Eudave
said], it was a big deal standing up to managers. Thats what we learned to do, Eudave said."
